


A Little Progression of Love

by ariya167



Category: Zeroes Series - Scott Westerfeld
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-07-08 06:46:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15925058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariya167/pseuds/ariya167
Summary: And then Chizara’s arms were around her, hugging Kelsie like she never wanted to let go. She smelled like salt, and the cheap hotel shampoo, and suddenly Kelsie was crying too.





	A Little Progression of Love

Kelsie found Chizara on their hotel balcony, staring out at the city of New Orleans below. Most of the lights were still lit, parties lasting well towards dawn. She could feel it, the boom and beat and buzz of the crowds buoyed by Nexus. Buoyed by her. 

“Hey,” she murmured, pulling back into herself and settling in beside her girlfriend. The crowds still tickled at her awareness, but it was too far away to lift her up into a feedback loop unless she wanted it. Most nights she did, so soon after Nexus, but tonight she didn’t want a distraction. She wanted to be in the here and now, with Chizara.

“Hey,” Chizara said, turning her head just a fraction to look at her. 

“Do you want to talk?” Kelsie asked hesitantly. Her hand drifted, laying on top of Chizara’s where it rested on the balcony railing. Grounding her, hopefully.

“Yes,” Chizara answered, catching her by surprise. 

That was Verity’s doing, the endless worldwide truth bomb they were still recovering from. Kelsie didn’t think it was too bad, at least not yet-but this was the first time since Nexus she’d had an emotional heart-to-heart. Maybe it’d be a good thing. 

Chizara looked back at the city. She was drifting, caught between angry and sad like she wasn’t yet sure how to feel. 

Below them, the city lights flickered, until Chizara took a deep, shuddering, breath, and with Kelsie’s help, dragged herself back to calm. 

“I killed someone, Kelsie,” Chizara said, breaking the silence. Her fists clenched, and Kelsie fought to stop herself from drowning in that deep well of fear and grief. “We both did! My whole life, I’ve always tried to be good, to ‘do no harm’, but that was a lie, wasn’t it? Was I always just meant to destroy?”

“You’re not a bad person, Zara,” Kelsie said, and stretched that bone-deep certainty around them like a shield. “And you fix things. You always do.”

“You can’t fix people!” Chizara’s voice came out sharp, coloured with anger. “I tried! You can’t start hearts after you stop them.”

“You know, every night I think about what happened,” Kelsie confessed, wrapping her arms around herself. When the nightmares got to be too much, she isolated herself in the hotel, not wanting to drag the other Zeroes down in her guilt. They each had enough to worry about without her broadcasting their emotions to everyone. “It was so, so easy. I wanted it. I still want it.”

She paused, waiting for Chizara to pity her-or worse, condemn her. But the only thing she felt was an odd, familiar, understanding.

“I’m going to spend the rest of my life fighting what I am,” she said, and knew it to be true. “So are you.”

Chizara stiffened, flinching back from her, and Kelsie hurried to continue. “We’re both going to have to fight. Together. And I need you. Zara, you’re so strong, but you don’t have to be. You can need me too.”

And then Chizara’s arms were around her, hugging Kelsie like she never wanted to let go. She smelled like salt, and cheap hotel shampoo, and suddenly Kelsie was crying too. 

“Thank you,” she murmured. “I love you, Kelsie.”

“I love you, Chizara,” Kelsie said, lacing their fingers together as they turned back to face the New Orleans skyline. “I always will.”

The past was behind them, their wrongs that they’d maybe never atone for, but damn would they try. And beyond them was the future, unknowable, except now to Ethan. But fuck that, Kelsie decided, laying her head on Chizara’s shoulder. Fuck knowing. They’d go ahead together.

Love settled around them as they looked out at the city, warm and boundless and protective. Kelsie pulled it closer, then sent it spiraling out over the city, lighting up the sky like a thousand drops of starlight. 

She pulled Chizara close and kissed her, laughing at how beautiful and vibrant this new world was. This was where she was always meant to be.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on [tumblr!](https://collective-optical-hijack.tumblr.com/)


End file.
